Apparatus for making wire fabric seams



'.luly'28, 1936. P. .1.4 BENDROTH ET A1. 2,049,187

A APPARATUS FOR MAKING WIRE FABRIC SEAMS Filed Oct. l, 1954 C2i/www -A-An En 1:11" nl h L WBITEP NESS ents Erg Patented July 28, 1936 PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS Fon MAKING WIRE FABRIC SEAM Paul J. Abendroth and Otto A. Abendroth, Appleton, and Walter Wessenberg, Menasha,

Wis.

Application October 1,

3 Claims.

This invention pertains to wire cloths or fabrics of the type commonly used in making paper on Fourdrinier machines, and more particularly to a novel apparatus for joining the ends of the fabric together to form the desired endless construction.

Diiculty hasv not only been experienced in producing a seam which would be mechanically strong, (as explained in the co-pending application of Otto A. Abendroth, Serial No. 746,407), but great difficulty has also been experienced in the actual process of joining the ends of the fabric together to form the seam. The Fourdrinier wires are of extremely flne mesh, and hence the individual wires are almost invisible to a naked eye. A great length of time is required to drill a workman (generally a year) before suicient skill is obtained by him to accurately solder, braze, or Weld the ends of the fabric together. One diculty is in holding the fabric ends; another is that the heat developed tends to burn the fabric, and thus the wires will often break at a point spaced from the seam; and still another diil'iculty is the guiding of the flame along the seam.

It is therefore one of the salient objects of our present invention to provide an improved apparatus for effectively holding the ends of the Fourdrinier wires in correct relation against movement, and to only expose the .ends of the individual wires, which are Yto be joined, to View, to protect the body of the fabric against the flame.

A further object of our invention is to provide a novel apparatus for `holding the ends of the Fourdrinier wires, whereby the workman will be guided in his work so that he will be .enabled to quickly and accurately apply the solder to the wire ends, and apply correctly the flame to the joint.

A further object of vour invention is the provision of novel holding plates, which are formed of a relatively great thickness and width, the plates completely covering the body of the fabric adjacent to the joint, and only exposing to 45 viewthe individual wires which are to be joined,

same will lie in substantially parallel relation; third, applying liquid solder to the exposed ends; and, finally, applying the desired degree of heat to the solder and exposed wire ends.

A still further object of our invention is to pro- 5 vide an improved apparatus for connecting the ends of the Fourdrinier wires together, whereby the operators work will be simplified, and whereby the formation of the desired joint is assured.

With these and other objects in view, the inl0 vention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing:

Figure l is a top plan View of our improved apparatus, the mesh of the Fourdrinier wire being shown exaggerated.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through our improved apparatus, showing the Fourdrinier wires clamped in place and ready for the second step of rolling the wire ends flat, the meshes of the wires being shown exaggerated.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view to more clearly illustrate the overlapping of the wire ends.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail front elevation of the roller utilized to straighten out the warp wires of the Fourdrinier fabric.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout several views, the letter A generally indicates our improved apparatus. One of the salient features of our invention is the use of the pairs of clamps 5 and 6 which are utilized to grip the ends of the Fourdrinier wires. The clamp 5 includes a rigid body plate l and a removable top plate 8. 'I'he clamp 6 embodies like plates, and thus includes a rigid bottom plate 9 and a removable top plate l0. As explained above, the bottom plates 'l and 9 of the clamps 5 and 6 are rigidly held in place against movement, and these plates can be rmly connected in any desired manner with a supporting frame H, which can be in the nature of a table. Only a fragment of this frame has been shown, as any character of frame can be utilized. It is preferred, however, to mount this frame on wheels, whereby the same can be slid transversely under the fabric. In the present instance we have shown the bottom plates 'I and 8 spaced from the top of the frame by means of spacing strips l2. The outer faces of the plates 1, 8, 9, and l0, at their inner longitudinal edges, are bevelled, as at I3, to form a substantially knife edge I4. 'I'his 55 bevel can be on a forty-five degree angle if so desired.

The top plates 8 and I0 can be detachably secured to the bottom plates l and 9 in any desired manner, such as by the use of clamps. In the present instance we have shown the top plates 8 and I0 connected to the bottom plates l and 9 by bolts l5, which are located adjacent to the ends of the platesand beyond the Fourdrinier wires. In actual practice, the plates are about fifteen feet long or longer so as to accommodate the greatest width of Fourdrinier Wires. vThe v plates are formed relatively thick, and relatively wide, so that a substantial part of the body portion of the fabric on each side of the seam willY becovered. The plates can beapproximately six inches wide, and this not only forms a broad clamp for engaging the fabric, but also'protects thefabric from heat, as will be later brought out.

The lower plates 'l and 9 have their adjacent edgesconnected together at vspaced points; by bridgel straps i6. These bridge' straps directly below, the space between the plates are provided with U-shaped bite' portions il, whichv slidably and detachably, support the Ywire-supporting bar IB, which can be formed from anydesired metal,

such as steel. Y f

Inv connection with the novel .clamps V5 and 6, lwe employ a roller 2! fortstraightening out the ends of the warp wires of the fabric incidental to the connecting of these wires together, as will also be more clearly described. The roller is rotatablysupported by suitable bearing wires 22, which can'be carried by a manipulating handle (not shown). The roller includes a central flat peripheral portion 2,3, thewidth of which is equal tothedistance between the clamps 5 and 6. On

opposite sides of the flat central peripheral portion23 the roller is bevelled, as at 24, and this bevelled portion conforms substantially `to the bevel, I3r ofthe clamps 5 and 6. 'f

'Iheends of the Fourdrinier .Wirefor fabric W is indicated4 by the reference numbers 25 and 26 in the drawing, andby referring to Figures 1 and 2 it will be noted that these ends are firmly clamped between the plates l and 8, and 9 and l0. In actualpractica the vIiourdrinier rwire W is supported in the` usual apparatus, and the top plates 8 and l@ of the clamps 5 and B are removed. rIhe frame 'il is then slipped under the Fourdrinier wire, `and ,the ends 25 and 2G areY placed on top of the plates 'l and 9 with the warp ends 2l protruding beyond the inner longitudinal edges of the plates. `The top plates 8 and l5 are then placed upon the ends 25 and 26 of the Fourdrinier wire and firmly secured in place by the screws l5.

This effectively holds the ends 25 and 26 in place, and-the Warpends 2l; are only exposed to view. In accordance with our method, the end shot or weft wiresr of the fabric ends 25'and 26 are removed prior to the clamping in place of the Fourdrinier wire W. This permits effective overlapping of the warp wires 2l and the forming of a smooth seam without undue bulk. The supporting rod i8 can now be slid in the guide il of the bracket I6, under the warp endsl, after which the roller 20 is placed in the space between the clamps, and is rolled back and forth over the Warp ends 2l, so as to straighten these ends and thus bring about the formation of the smooth joint. After the warp wires are straightened, the

bar or rod i8 is removed. f

A liquid silver soldering compound is now used, and this is preferably applied by means of a fine camels hair brush. After the application of the ,K solder, a torch is brought into play and is Vmoved back and forth along the space betweenY the clamps. .This effectively Vsolders the ends of the wires, and after the soldering operation thertop plates 8 and Il] can be removed and the frame Yslipped transverselyV from under the Fourdrinierl 'wire W; j

We lay particular stress on the clamps 5 and 6, and the material'from which the plates of the clamps are made. Y`

As heretoforerexplained, in the use of a torch, the Fourdrinier wires ,are often burnt onr opposite sides ofthe seam,; and the wires Will-break at theburnt portions.` While the use of 01117 plates l, 8, 9V, and l@ will eliminate this condition to a largexextentLitis necessary to form the plates from some material that will absorb the heat and dissipate thevsame to the atmosphere.' s

After careful experiments, Iwe have Yfoundfthat aluminum is the ideal metal fromwhich to form the plates, asl this metal willquickly absorb and dissipate the heat to the atmosphere.Y Whilewe have specified aluminum,ritis toxbeunderstood that we canr use duro` aluminum, or any aluminum alloy or metal that oXidizes will not solder.

'v Changes in details may be made, but what we.

claim as new is:-kv i 1. An apparatus for joining the ends of fabric wires together, comprising a pair of spacedclamps, each including a rigid bottom plate and a removable top plate, and removable means for supporting the free wire ends betweenV the plates.,

2. An apparatus for joining rthe Vends of .wire

fabric together, comprising 'a pair of spaced clamps, each including rigid bottom plates and removable top plates, a removable'bar disposed between the clamps-for initially supporting the rapidly and Y freel wire ends between the clamps, and a roller for straightening out the wire ends on toprof the bark movable between the clamps.

3. An apparatus for vjoining the ends of wire fabric together, comprising a pair of spaced clamps,

'PAUL J1. ABENnROTH.Y oTTo A. ABENDROTH.y VWALTER WEssENBERG. 

